How to Test Drive a Car

It’s 2024, and there are still few cars to buy. Well, there are cars all over the place, just not for sale on dealer lots. Automakers gave away the keys to their factories and outsourced everything but their logos. Now they can’t build cars because the Fitzer valve company was in Ukraine, the flux capacitor factory in China is shut down for COVID, and the unobtainium headlight filaments have been floating in a container ship off the port of Los Angeles for six months. Despite the challenges, if you must buy a car in this crazy time, be it new or used, we still suggest you do your best to take a test drive.

If you are shopping for a new car, it is possible the dealer may have one of the models you hope to order and subsequently buy available to drive. It may not be the trim you want, so it won’t have the same tires or possibly even the same engine. You can only do your best before you order. We suggest that you make your order contingent on a test drive of your exact Acme Thruster when it finally does arrive.

If you are buying used, you should always do a formal, thorough test drive. Used cars are far more likely to have issues a test drive can flag.

Read more on Buying a Used Car here.

Test Driving a Car - Call First & Plan Ahead

Whether you are buying a new Acme Glutton in Road Salt Gray or a nifty green EV runabout, call your local dealers to find out if a test drive is possible. Ask what trim of your desired model is available to test. It will be up to you to decide if testing that similar car can fulfill your needs if you plan to order your desired car.

If you are buying used, ask if you can meet at the parking lot of the town’s public safety building, a.k.a. The police station. This will help ensure you are safe and that any nefarious plans the seller has will be reconsidered.

Whichever path you are on, gain as much info as you can by phone, text, or email before you head out to drive the car. Schedule the test drive for any time except rush hour. Always bring your phone cord with you. A USB to USB-C adapter is always handy as well with new cars. Automakers are switching from the long-used size to the smaller socket.

Are Your Test Drive Goals and Objectives?

Once you arrange a test drive, think about what you want to learn from your time with the car. You need to know if you want to buy the car you are testing or one similar to it that you place on order. If you are buying the one you test drive, we suggest a closer inspection of that vehicle. Who cares if the dealer’s demo has a scratched bumper? If you are buying that car, it matters a lot more.

Do These Important Things Before You Take a Test Drive

A test drive is a very important part of your buying research. Don’t spoil it by trying to learn about the warranty and charging features while you are driving. Don’t fiddle with the 56-inch screen while behind the wheel for the first time. That’s not an exaggeration, by the way. We actually tested a car with a 56-inch screen this month. Use the driving time to really feel out the experience, how the car handles on the road, how it brakes and accelerates, and make certain you have good visibility.

Ask the Dealer About Test Drive Rules & Routes

Ask the dealer or private seller what the test drive rules will be when you schedule. Ask the dealer how long you can have the car. Ask what the best route is to experience a range of driving scenarios, including the open highway.

Invite the Dealer to Join You on the Test Drive

If you feel intimidated by having another person in the car, ask them to let you drive the car alone. However, in our experience doing short drives for vehicle testing, we have found it very helpful to have a person knowledgeable about the car along for a ride. We took a test drive with a Hyundai salesperson recently in the new Ionic 5 battery-electric vehicle. The salesperson was incredibly helpful and knew every aspect of the car. Similarly, on Tesla test drives, the Tesla associates were outstanding. By contrast, we have had dealership salespeople who had to guess how many tires were on the car.

Sit In The Car - Can You See Out of It? Are There Blind Spots?

Read Car and Racer, and you will be swept away by the flowery writing of folks who drive fun cars on tracks for a living. They tell you how the car “handles at the limit” and how amazing “clipping an apex is” in their reviews. It’s easy to fall in love with a car you have never sat inside of.

Two fantastic track-day cars we love are the MINI Cooper and Chevrolet Camaro. As much as we love them for those uses, they are so hard to see out of that they are not great daily drivers. Many small coupes have blind spots. You cannot see over your left shoulder in a Miata with the top up - At all. By contrast, many large SUVs have virtually no blind spots. Be sure you give this some thought. One reason the Subaru Forester is so popular is that it offers the best visibility in the automotive world. It is a huge plus for that vehicle.

Become Familiar with the Controls

Don’t learn how to adjust the infotainment system at stoplights on your test drive. Do all of that type of learning parked at the dealership with an expert assisting you. If the salesperson isn’t that individual, they can usually find the one expert to help.

Set the Seat and Mirrors To Your Liking

Set the test vehicle’s mirrors to your liking and make sure you can comfortably see. Next, ask the seller what camera aids the vehicle comes with. Try moving the car around in a parking lot using the overhead, surround, front, and rearview cameras. How do you like them? They may take some getting used to, but they are a big help, particularly as an aid to already sound practices like looking over your shoulders and using all your mirrors.

Synch Your Phone

Ask your seller to help you to sync your phone before you press the gas. In new vehicles, just plugging your phone into the proper USB input will start the synching process. It is a simple matter of saying “Yes” to the car’s request and the phone’s request to pair. It takes under 10 seconds. With older cars, you may need to use your phone’s Bluetooth settings and ask the vehicle to pair via its infotainment menus.

Try the Audio, Then Turn the Volume Down to Zero

While still parked, use your phone to play your music through the vehicle’s audio system. Try newer tracks, even if you prefer classic rock. The fidelity of the system can best be demonstrated by new digital recordings. Ask the seller to show you where in the car's menus, the audio equalizer controls and surround sound settings are. Once you are done, leave the phone plugged in and turn the volume all the way down to zero.

Test Drive the Tech

One New England Motor Press Associate Car Talk follows is George Kennedy. He coined the phrase “Test drive the tech.” We feel it captures one big aspect of the modern test drive very accurately. Whether you are team Apple or team Google, connect your phone before you start the test drive. Set a destination using Google Maps or Apple Maps or Waze, or whatever modern navigation system you prefer. This will give you a chance to experience how it will work in the car you are considering. Does it offer a head-up display with integrated turn alerts? Does the driver information display (gauge area) also incorporate the nav? Is the system wireless? Is there a wireless phone charger in the model you plan to buy? Let’s face it; plugging in a phone is so 2005.

Next, use the active driver safety systems. What happens when you stray over a lane marker? Does the vehicle beep annoyingly, tug at the wheel, or give you a little goose in the seat? Which do you prefer? Can it be shut off or toned down?

Try moving the car around in a parking lot using the overhead, surround, front, and rearview cameras if the car has them. How do you like them? They may take some getting used to, but they are a big help, particularly as an aid to already sound practices like looking over your shoulders and using all of your mirrors. Many new vehicles have head-up displays and digital rear-view “mirrors.” Try them, but realize they take some getting used to.

Now look for the heated seat controls, heated steering wheel, and any other features important to you. Give them a try before you drive off.

The Actual Test Drive

Buckle Up and Insist Passengers Buckles Up

Safety first. Buckle up and ask any passengers to also do so. This protects you from injury, getting a ticket, and liability.

With the Car On In the Parking Lot Do These Things

Once you are ready to roll, try turning the steering wheel all the way from left to right. Is there any clunking, clicking, or binding from the steering? If the car is used, does it make the accessory belt squeal? Shift the car in and out of gear a couple of times. Use the parking brake. Try the wipers and horn. Turn on the lights. Tap the hazards, and use the turn signals. Make sure all the expected things work properly if this is a used car.

The Test Drive Itself

Your goal on a test drive is to feel the car in action and to decide if you like its personality. On local roads, drive over some small road imperfections to see how stiffly the suspension is tuned. Check your mirrors and then if the coast is clear, try some harder than normal braking. How does the pedal feel? That is one thing you will never be able to tune or change. If the pedal is hard as a rock or soft as a Nerf ball, that is how that car will feel every day you own it. We like it in between those two extremes.

Steer the car and feel its responsiveness. How do you like the way it feels? When you turn in a corner, does the vehicle lean, or does it handle flat? Many of today's SUVs handle just as well as a sedan. You should not tolerate sloppy handling or any vehicle that feels tippy around corners.

When you apply the brakes, does the car pull to one side? If so, that can be a brake or suspension issue, and either can be a pricey fix. When you hit a bump, is there a rattle or squeak? While many such noises are easy to fix, some are not. Investigate further.

When safe to do so, accelerate away from a stoplight aggressively. Be careful if you are in a modern sports car. Rear-drive sports cars can oversteer out of control if you pin the accelerator and traction is lost. If you are testing a front-wheel drive car, does the car want to move the steering wheel to the side when you accelerate? Try accelerating from a stop and also while turning, like taking a right from a stop sign. Does the car want to steer itself more than you expect? If so, that is called torque steer. It is an unpleasant fact that many front-wheel drive cars have this flaw. Particularly sporty ones. You need to decide if you want to live with it.

Take the car onto the highway. Safely. Once on the highway and the coast is clear, pin the throttle, but don’t stomp abruptly. Be careful if it is a modern sports car. You may be surprised and possibly lose control. How is the acceleration? How does the transmission behave? Many new vehicles have constantly variable gearless transmissions. Many owners never like the odd sensations they provide. You need to experience it to see if you like it or not.

Now you know how the vehicle feels when you accelerate hard. If the car is not a modern sports car, do pin the throttle quickly. Did the car respond the same way? Car Talk recently tested a very popular crossover model of a new generation. When we pinned the throttle, the car stalled and slowed. Never assume a new car will behave as you expect. The test drive is your time to test it.

On the highway in the center lane, does the car drive straight down the road, or does it want to steer to one side more than from just the crown of the road? If the car is steering itself when not accelerating, it is out of alignment.

Is the car smooth at the highest highway speed you will travel? Unbalanced or defective tires won't reveal themselves until about 70 MPH sometimes. Cars should not vibrate on the highway. Troubleshooting that type of vibration is a hassle and can be costly to remedy.

At normal highway speeds, how is the noise in the cabin? All cars have some interior noise from tires and wind. However, many popular models are much louder than similar cars. The Nissan Rogue is noticeably quieter than a Subaru Forester on the highway, based on our recent testing. This is just one example. Overall, a shopper may choose the Forester, but testing and test driving are how we list the pros and cons of a vehicle we are considering.

Testing Vehicle Drive Modes (Sport, Eco, Off-Road, Snow)

Most modern vehicles now have multiple drive modes. Someplace among the many controls is a button of some type that allows you to toggle through the vehicle’s drive modes. Eco mode makes the car less enjoyable, but it may save you a few bucks on gas. Snow mode helps you with traction when starting off by limiting torque and enabling AWD. Off-road helps to manage wheel spin in certain scenarios when you are off pavement.

The big one to try on a test drive is Sport mode. This will change the throttle mapping so that when you toe the gas pedal the car will feel more responsive. It will also change the way the transmission behaves so you are always in the sweet spot of the engine. Even EVs have such modes. Give Sport a try, and you will get a sense of how the car can be enjoyed.

Seat Comfort

In our Car Talk Community, one very common post is, “the seats in my new car are terribly uncomfortable.” Sadly, aside from the adjustments available, there is not much that can be done if you don't like the seats in your car. Be sure that you “test drive the seats.” Use all of the available controls to ensure that you can find a combination that makes you comfortable. If not, walk away.

Take Some Notes

When test driving a car, bring a notepad, or use your smartphone to jot some notes, voice or written. Once you have parked safely, describe what you felt, how you liked the car and any things you need to follow up on after the test drive. If you are testing multiple cars, these notes can be very handy. “Which car had no lumbar support?” Your notes can be the difference between remembering or forgetting key aspects of the car.

Ask If You Can Have the Car Overnight

If you are buying from a dealer, ask if you can have an extended test drive. Premium brands’ dealers almost always offer this. They may let you take the car home overnight or for the weekend.

Rentals and Loaners

Rental cars and loaners are good opportunities to test drive a car before a search. If you're traveling and have a choice of rentals, pick one of a type you may shop for someday. Dealerships also have loaner cars for service customers. If you are shopping for a brand you already own a car from, consider calling ahead to arrange a loaner of a car model you may purchase, rather than whatever is available.

Test Drive Summary

If we can leave readers with a summary of how to test drive a car, it would look like this:

• Prepare in advance and learn all you can before you move the car.
• Drive in a variety of scenarios with the audio volume off.
• Give serious consideration to visibility.
• Use all of the drive modes.
• Be certain the seats fit you.
• Record your thoughts after you are done.

A test drive can be a fun experience. However, with a bit of planning, it can offer you a lot more valuable information than if you simply hop in and head out.

Read more on Buying a Car here.